1. Based on information from the passage, approximately how many people over the age of 65 fatally contracted the SARS virus?
Quote:
916 were fatal—a mortality rate of roughly 10%. Of all the SARS-related deaths, however, age seems to play the most important factor: almost 50% of the SARS fatalities were over 65 years old.
A. 8,400
B. 4,200
C. 900
D. 450
CorrectE. 90
2. The discussion in Paragraph 2 about how SARS is spread through close contact serves which of the following functions within the passage?
Para 2 basically serves the purpose of giving information about how SARS spreads, how many days it takes for the symptoms to show & what these symptoms are
A. It illustrates the need for hospital staff to be well protected against possible infection when dealing with SARS cases.
Though understandable but it can't be the only purpose of mentioning this in para 2 B. It lists the different possible "close contact" scenarios.
This was a close contender. Eliminated this because I feel that mentioning the scenarios was not just to state how the disease spreads but serves a greater function of how easily the disease spreadsC. It demonstrates how easily the virus is spread from person to person.
CorrectD. It offers a comparison of SARS to the common cold.
Incorrect. comparison is not the main purposeE. It contradicts earlier theories of how the virus is spread.
Incorrect. No theory contradicted3. It can be inferred from the passage that
A. the first SARS cases may have occurred by eating infected meat
By POE + this excerpt " first initial human cases, and they seem to have occurred independently of each other. However, scientists have, discovered the SARS virus in 3 different animals that were being sold in the live markets of Guangdong at the time, each considered a delicacy in China.
B. doctors are very close to discovering a SARS vaccine
Nothing of this sort is stated anywhere. It can also be possible that as mentioned towards the end of the passage that the virus has been contained , So it may have happened through a vaccine. But we can't say anything conclusivelyC. the Chinese doctor purposely spread the SARS virus
Incorrect- can't be inferredD. SARS no longer poses a threat to the global population
Incorrect as last para mentions "global health authorities are constantly on alert for another possible outbreak."E. the WHO mishandled the SARS outbreak
Incorrect. We can't infer this because the passage doesn't give any indication of this. Moreover, the following excerpt diminishes the strength of this conjecture- "After the virus was recognized as a threat to worldwide health, a global mobilization effort led by the WHO to contain the disease quickly stopped SARS in its tracks." 4. According to the passage, all of the following are true of the Chinese-American businessman EXCEPT that:
A. he was a guest on the ninth floor of the Metropole Hotel.
B. he died in a hospital in Singapore.
Correct. The passage clearly says that he died in a hospital in Hong KongC. his death sparked a WHO investigation into SARS.
D. before he died, he had a very high fever.
E. he had been to both Hong Kong and Singapore.
5. The passage provides support for which of the following statements?
A. The risk of dying from SARS decreases with age.
Incorrect. The 1st para says "Of all the SARS-related deaths, however, age seems to play the most important factor: almost 50% of the SARS fatalities were over 65 years old."B. It is impossible to track the origins of an outbreak.
Incorrect. No indication of this is given anywhere. Moreover, impossible is too strong a word to make such a claim about outbreaks in general C. Coronaviruses are the most deadly strain of virus.
The passage says "one of the most" - so in such a category of deadly disease it may or may not be the deadliestD. Males are more susceptible to the SARS virus than females.
Incorrect. Out of scopeE. Healthcare professionals need to be especially wary of possible SARS infection.
Correct by POE6. Which of the following provides the most appropriate title for the passage?
The whole passage is about SARS: what it is, how it spreads, hypothesis as to its origin, its symptoms, statistics regarding its fatalities in the recent outbreak, and how it is viewed now that it has been containedA. Serial Killer: the anatomy of the 2003 SARS Outbreak
Correct. Seems best suitedB. The Ninth Floor
Incorrect. Not central to the topicC. SARS: an animal-human link?
addresses just one point of the whole topicD. The Global Impact of the SARS Virus
IncorrectE. Conquering SARS
Incorrect